Well, they came half way true last week, when the 19-year-old Wiggins, who grew up in Vaughan, revealed on his Instagram account that he’d reached an endorsement deal with the German apparel maker. But his salary, a reported $2 million annually, is a fraction of the figure that rippled through the internet.

So did the marketing power of the top pick in last month’s NBA draft nosedive over the winter?

Not at all.

Andrew Wiggins say being the NBA's No. 1 overall draft pick means a lot for him and his family. It's the second straight year the Cleveland Cavaliers have taken a Canadian first overall, after picking Anthony Bennett in 2013.

Experts say that these days no first-year NBA player is worth $18 million a year to a shoe company — not because players have become less marketable but because sneaker makers have changed the way they play the endorsement game.

Instead of paying a big-name rookie a nine-figure contract and designing a signature model shoe for them, companies now prefer to sign rookies to smaller deals, wait a few years, then lavish larger contracts on the ones who become famous enough to single-handedly drive sales.

“The brands have said (they) just can’t justify these giant contracts for rookies,” says Matt Powell of Princeton Retail Analysis. “It took LeBron James years before he was really able to justify his contract (through sales).”

Of course, the marketing of Andrew Wiggins also depends heavily on the how he co-exists with the megastar James, who announced Friday he would return to the Cleveland Cavaliers after four years in Miami. James’ presence moves Wiggins lower in the Cavaliers’ hierarchy, but if James turns the club into a contender, Wiggins’ profile will rise.

“His Q-rating literally changed over the last three hours,” says sports marketing agent Quency Phillips, CEO of the Chicago-based Que Agency, on Friday, the day James announced he was returning to Cleveland. “If they checked the metrics it has to. Being mentioned in the starting lineup with LeBron James, all of (James’ fame) has to come into play.”

But not even a prominent role on a playoff club would propel Wiggins to a James-sized shoe deal as a rookie. James’ contract with Nike pays him $19 million a year.

Adidas’ global head of basketball sports marketing Chris Grancio says the company plans to use Wiggins to help sell a line of sneakers slated for a fall release, but said a Wiggins signature shoe isn’t forthcoming.

“With a player of Andrew’s caliber and potential, a signature collection could certainly happen in the future but there are no plans in place at this time,” he wrote in an email to the Star. “As we get to know Andrew, we’ll begin to further define that strategy together.”

But marketing Wiggins apparel the same way won’t be easy. While the Raptors’ “We The North” marketing campaign traded heavily on Toronto-centricity, Wiggins won’t find a big market for Canadian-themed gear among Cavaliers fans.

“Are you going to put a ‘416’ on his shoe? How is that going to vibe with what the Raptors are doing?” Phillips says. “I definitely don’t think someone in Cleveland will care if (Wiggins) has a shoe with a Canadian flag on it.”

A Wiggins signature sneaker might materialize if he blossoms into the superstar many experts think he can become, but that designation also brings pressure to generate revenue.

With players like James, companies can log his shoe’s sales ($155 million wholesale according to retail analysis firm Sports One Source), cross reference it with endorsement and marketing costs and figure out whether contract makes or loses money.

Without a signature shoe, a company can’t track an individual player’s effect on profitability, but still value his presence on their roster.

“The brands need athletes wearing their shoes. They need that performance credibility,” Powell says. “They’re willing to pay some money for that, but a lot less than they would pay an athlete that’s going to have a signature shoe.”

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